THE Federal Government has disclosed that over 4.5 million illiterate adults and youth who enrolled under the revitalised adult and youth literacy programme were graduated after intensive training at various study centres across the country in the last three years.
The final report on implementation of the Revitalising Adult and Youth Literacy (RAYL), which was presented to Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu indicated that out of a total of 5,101,719 learners enrolled in the programme between 2013-2015  in 146 focused Local Governments 4,589,637 of them can now read and write.
Adamu while receiving the report on Wednesday in Abuja also disclosed that about 4,807 facilitators were also trained during the period.
He noted that the Federal Government through the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (OSSAP-MDG) made available $6.4m for the project aimed at reducing illiteracy level in Nigeria and to build a critical mass of educators for literacy and life skills acquisition.
According to him, the ultimate beneficiaries of the project were those who have not been reached, the marginalised or excluded from formal education system, mainly young girls and women, youth and out-of-school children.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, the minister commended all stake holders in the project including UNESCO, parastatals of the Ministry and Non Governmental Organisations, stressing that as the projects comes to an end this December, stakeholders should continue to make efforts towards eradicating illiteracy.
Chairman of RAYL Steering Committee, Prof Gidado Tahir reported the establishment and equipping of Community Learning Centres in 13 states, publication on Adult and Non-formal Education, capacity building for NMEC staff and establishment of Non-formal Education Management Information System in NMEC among other achievements.
Among the challenges encountered he said included lack of commitment by states to utilize the trained facilitators, poor condition of service for Non Formal Educators, Boko Haram insurgency in the North and limited political will at all levels.
The ceremony featured demonstrations by some graduates of the mass literacy programme who expressed joy that they could now do many of those things they could not do before their enrolment including reading notices reading and writing.